Senior Smith leads High girls past Emporia

Trojan boys complete sweep despite cold shooting

As long as Emporia was going to give Ashanti Smith open looks from the perimeter, she was going to keep taking them. And burying them.

The Topeka High senior scored 19 points, shooting a remarkable 5 for 5 from 3-point range and 7 for 7 overall, to lead the Trojans to a 64-52 win over Emporia.

“It just feels amazing when you start shooting like that,” said Smith, who said she has had a few similar scoring nights. “I just look at the center of the rim like a bull’s-eye, and tonight I was on.”

Emporia had already claimed victories in two previous meetings with the Trojans, but neither of those games were played in the Trojans’ Dungeon.

“We love to play here. It makes a huge difference,” Trojans coach Shanna Perine said. “The atmosphere is unique to any place we play. And the kids realize the tradition that we have here, so they want to live up to that.”

High built a 29-25 advantage by halftime on the strength of their size advantage. The 5-foot-11 Mandy Madden and powerful Dey’Chelle Claiborne combined for 10 points in the paint in the first half over the much smaller Spartan lineup.

Then Smith let loose. With five points in the bank from the first half, she proceeded to knock down four more 3-pointers in a row and added a breakaway layup.

“I didn’t realize she was seven for seven,” Perine said. “She’s a great shooter, but she’s been in sort of a dry spell lately. We’ve been telling her to keep shooting, and tonight she was obviously gaining some confidence.”

“Knowing I’m a senior, it feels good to be the leader that the team needs,” said Smith.

Point guard Adrianna Henderson sparked the Topeka High offense, distributing the ball and knocking down 9 of 11 free throws down the stretch. She finished with 18 points.

TOPEKA HIGH BOYS 30, EMPORIA 25 — As hot as Ashanti Smith was in the girls’ game, the boys teams came out for the nightcap just that cold. The Spartans and Trojans combined to shoot a miserable 4 of 23 in the first quarter, a period in which each team committed more fouls and turnovers than they made field goals.

Things didn’t exactly heat up in the second period. Tied at four after the first quarter, the Spartans went to the locker room with an 11-8 advantage at the half. The scoring drought continued through the third period, with the teams knotted at 15.

The Dean Smith traveling trophy — awarded to the winner of the battles between Emporia, Smith’s birthplace, and Topeka High, his alma mater — hung in the balance. But finally, the Trojans began scoring the way the legendary Smith would have wanted.

High struck for 15 points in the final period, in spite of several missed front ends of free-throw opportunities. Emporia scored just one more point until 1:55 remained on the clock. High held on as the Spartans hacked away, sending the Trojans to the line and milking the clock.